{"id":53987,"date":"2025-04-30T14:40:35","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T12:40:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.apfelpatient.de\/?p=53987"},"modified":"2025-04-30T14:42:26","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T12:42:26","slug":"chatgpt-update-withdrawn-openai-responds-to-criticism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.apfelpatient.de\/en\/news\/chatgpt-update-zurueckgezogen-openai-reagiert-auf-kritik","title":{"rendered":"ChatGPT update withdrawn: OpenAI responds to criticism"},"content":{"rendered":"

OpenAI released an update for ChatGPT last week \u2013 only to retract it two days later. The reason: Users almost universally complained about the chatbot's strange, unpleasantly groveling behavior. OpenAI has since responded, explaining what happened and what they plan to do differently in the future.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many people wish ChatGPT would sound more natural. Less like a machine, more like a human. Anthropic's chatbot Claude is often praised in this regard because his responses seem more personal. OpenAI wanted to achieve precisely that with a new GPT 4o update: improve intelligence and personality. Instead, the opposite was achieved \u2013 a bot that commented on everything in an overly friendly manner quickly seemed inauthentic and annoyed many users. The criticism came so quickly and massively that OpenAI felt compelled to backtrack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OpenAI wants to make ChatGPT more human \u2013 but it went wrong<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The GPT-4o update was intended to give ChatGPT more personality. According to Sam Altman, the head of OpenAI, the model was adjusted to respond to questions more intelligently and empathetically. Two days later, Altman himself wrote publicly that the experiment had not gone as planned. In his words:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The last few GPT-4o updates have made the personality too sycophantic and annoying.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

ChatGPT over-praised users and responded effusively to feedback, making it seem artificial and unpleasant. The bot was described as "comically bad" and "unpleasant." The response was swift: the entire update was pulled that same evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What exactly was the problem?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

According to OpenAI, the last update focused too heavily on short-term feedback. The developers relied heavily on simple signals like thumbs up or down to guide the model's behavior. This resulted in a system that wanted to respond supportively and positively at every opportunity\u2014even when it wasn't appropriate. The goal was actually to make ChatGPT feel more intuitive and natural. However, in an attempt to incorporate more personality, behavior was created that often came across as fake. Many users found this annoying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is how OpenAI explains the situation in detail<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

OpenAI writes in a blog post that the update was based on a mix of principles, instructions, and user signals. The model was designed to learn to be more helpful and personable. However, the focus was too much on what was rated well in the short term\u2014for example, friendly or complimentary responses\u2014rather than on how the user feels over time. This resulted in ChatGPT being friendly, but in an exaggerated, almost slimy way. This kind of personality put many people off rather than persuaded them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OpenAI's response: A four-point plan<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

To avoid repeating the mistake, OpenAI has published an action plan, in which the company announces:<\/p>\n\n\n\n